New advanced solar-panel factory to open in Colorado in 2012

Several hundred new green jobs are on their way to Aurora, Colorado, courtesy of GE’s plan to build the largest US-based solar-panel factory yet there.

Expected to begin production in 2012, the plant will be set up in an existing building close to a GE solar research center that has produced advanced thin-film solar panels with an efficiency of nearly 13 percent. Once it begins operating, the new factory will employ around 355 people and produce enough solar panels to power 80,000 homes, according to the company.

“Working with our Colorado-based solar team, we were able to achieve record efficiencies in our solar panels in record time,” said Victor Abate, vice president of GE’s renewable energy business. “The Colorado location will allow us to deliver our technology roadmap faster and commercialize industry-leading panel efficiencies sooner.”

With plans to invest $600 million in solar power, GE also expects to create a total of 100 new high-tech jobs at two locations in New York: its Renewable Energy Global Headquarters in Schenectady and it Global Research Center in Niskayuna.

According to GE, the new solar panels to be produced at its Colorado factory will be more efficient, lighter weight and larger than conventional thin-film panels. Lighter panels will make installation easier, the company claims, while larger-sized panels help to lower total system cost by reducing the amount of racking and electrical components required.